You Make Me Feel
by crystal h
Summary: Post 3x09 'Homecoming'. Klaus makes a deal with Elena to help him get his family back from Stefan. She realizes along the way that she's in love with Damon and takes on the challenge of making him realize she's actually choosing him. Delena & ensemble.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>"<em>We're never getting him back, Elena. You know that, don't you?"<em>

"_Then we'll have to let him go."_

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><p>Klaus can't decide if he's impressed and pissed off, or just downright pissed off. He's got to hand it to Stefan; he certainly didn't think when he released his favourite wingman from compulsion that said wingman would make off with the coffins of his entire family. It's the type of cunning plan that Klaus himself would come up with, and for that he decides to be furious with a small hint of admiration. Stefan Salvatore may be acting on his own free will, but his time with the Original vampire has clearly rubbed off on him.<p>

Getting his family back won't be an easy task. Sure, he knows that Stefan would likely avoid flying anywhere as the red tape involved with transporting coffins or massive number of employees to compel is rather discouraging. That still leaves the vast majority of North and South America as Stefan's playground, and Klaus knows he needs a plan. Doing the work himself would take far too long, so he chooses to do what he does best: intimidate others into doing his dirty work.

He whips out his cell phone and dials Stefan, surprised when he actually answers. "I want my family, Stefan," he growls.

"That's good, Klaus. It's nice to want things."

Huh. The little bugger's balls have finally dropped. That small hint of admiration grows like the Grinch's heart on Christmas. Perhaps there's hope for Stefan after all.

"The way I see it, you have two choices. One, give me my family back and maybe I'll take you back under my wing. Maybe. Two, spend the rest of your undead life on the run with some very heavy coffins, and hope that I never find you."

Stefan laughs. "I prefer option 3. You leave me, Mystic Falls and everyone in it alone, and I won't do something drastic like drop your family's coffins into the depths of the ocean. I doubt even an Original could survive the pressure of the Mariana Trench. That's thirty-six thousand feet deep, Klaus. Just in case you were wondering."

"Give me my family, Stefan, or I will kill you and everyone you have ever met."

"You do that; you will never see them again."

Klaus stares at his phone in anger. Stefan has hung up on him. Since his first plan has failed, he heads out to get started on his backup plan.

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><p>"So what's up with you and Damon?" Caroline is always blunt and to the point.<p>

Sometimes Elena wants to throttle her for it, but tonight she just sighs and takes a sip of her soda. The Grill is steady as usual, and they're seated comfortably near the bar. "Honestly, Care? I'm not even sure."

Caroline raises a perfectly arched eyebrow, and shakes her head. "Well at least that's a step up from the last time I asked you about him and you refused to even acknowledge there might be feelings there. He sleeps next to you every night, Elena. How is that even normal?"

"It's a comfort thing," she mumbles in response, avoiding Caroline's gaze and instead focusing on the pool table across the bar. "I feel safe with him there. He's... changed. He's different now."

"Interesting how you ignore the first thing I say and go straight to that. What does it say when you're more comfortable acknowledging that Damon Salvatore is sharing your bed every night, than you are admitting you might actually feel something for him?"

Elena's eyes snap up to meet Caroline's, and a blush creeps up on her cheeks. "Damon makes me feel safe," she admits.

"Oh come on, Elena! Safe is not the only thing he makes you feel! I've seen the two of you together! There is so much unresolved sexual tension between you that you could teach a class on it. I swear I can see it sometimes; it's like those heat waves coming off the road when it gets really hot in the summer. You want him. You kissed him when you thought he was dying. I wish you would just admit it to yourself, because as much as he used to be the biggest asshole in Virginia, he's not anymore. Because of how he feels about you."

Caroline flounces out of their booth and over to the bar, leaving Elena to herself for a few minutes. She compels the bartender, flirting with him as he pours a row of shots for her to take back to her table. She figures if Elena isn't going to tell the truth, she's at least going to get buzzed with her. Maybe if she's drunk enough Caroline can get her to engage in a game of Never Have I Ever and trick her into admitting her feelings for Damon.

Elena sighs again, lowering her head to sip more of her soda. She hears the brush of denim against the vinyl seating of the booth and clenches her jaw.

"Fine, Caroline, you're right. There's something between Damon and I, and I can't keep pretending it isn't there."

She hears a low throaty chuckle that _definitely_ does not belong to Caroline, and nearly falls out of the booth when she looks up to meet Klaus' eyes. They're sparkling in amusement, and Elena is sufficiently terrified.

"It's about time," drawls Klaus, giving her a smug smile. "It seems history truly does repeat itself."

"Klaus." Elena grounds out in greeting, heart hammering in her chest so loudly that she's surprised it hasn't drawn Caroline back to the table yet. She glances quickly at the bar and sees Caroline somehow balancing three shot glasses in each manicured hand, and the surprise on her best friend's face at Elena's new tablemate.

"Please, Caroline. Join us. Elena was just giving me all the juicy details on how she feels about Damon." Klaus gestures to the empty space next to Elena, and Caroline has no choice but to slide in next to her, setting the shots on the table. Elena's phone begins to vibrate in her pocket, signalling a text message.

"What do you want?" asks Elena, biting off the words as her hand reaches under the table for Caroline's. She squeezes it, silently letting her know that she's grateful to have the perky vampire with her.

Klaus reaches for a shot glass, tipping his head to Caroline before downing the vodka she'd procured. "I want my family back." He says simply.

Elena cocks her head to the side and looks at him, confusion all over her face. "Not that I don't understand how that feels, but I have no idea what you're talking about." Her phone vibrates again.

Caroline is openly glaring at Klaus, annoyed by his casual appearance and his theft of her booze. Who does he think he is? Just because he's an Original doesn't mean she won't happily go down trying to rip his head off. She rises a fraction of an inch to do just that, and Klaus holds up a hand to stop her.

"Unnecessary, Caroline. I'm not here for a fight." He turns to Elena, a smile eerily reminiscent of Heath Ledger's Joker stretching across his face. "Not if you and your little band of followers cooperate with me, that is."

Both girls just stare at him, waiting for him to continue. Antagonizing Klaus really isn't a good idea. Especially not when it's just the two of them, and the Grill is full of innocent humans. Elena wishes more than anything that she hadn't insisted Damon stay at the Boarding House tonight so she could have time with Caroline; at least he'd be better at handling the ancient vampire.

"Haven't you wondered yet, Elena, where your precious Stefan is?" Klaus' hand snakes across the table, snatching another shot from Caroline. He pushes the remainder of the glasses in front of the girls, indicating they should join him.

The three raise their glasses, but Elena and Caroline keep theirs in front of their faces. As bizarre as this situation is, there is no way in hell they are toasting with Klaus. They reluctantly take the shot, the vodka burning a trail of fire down Elena's throat.

"I suppose you haven't wondered," Klaus continues, "given that there's _something_ between you and Damon now."

"Just tell us what you want, and leave us alone," Caroline spits out. As if Klaus hasn't done enough to them already, the fucker has now stolen one third of her shots and the casual attitude of the act has her ready to scratch his eyes out.

"It's simple, really. Stefan stole my family. He refuses to give them back. Bring Stefan and my family back to me."

Elena blinks, surprised. Of all the things she thought Stefan might do with his freedom, kidnapping a tractor trailer full of daggered Original vampires was not one of them. "Putting aside the impossibility of finding a way to make this happen, why? Why us? We all tried to kill you. Why would you ask us to do something for you?"

"Retrieve my family and the youngest Salvatore. Succeed, and I will leave you alone. However, if you fail..." Klaus steals the last two shots from Caroline, throwing them back in quick succession. "You people seem to respond best to violence," he says with a slow smile and an indifferent shrug.

"Absolutely not." Elena says, growing angry. "You need me, Klaus. You can't create more hybrids without my blood. I will agree to help you, on one condition. I actually respond better to kindness, so instead of threatening to hurt or kill people I care about, _you_ will protect them."

Caroline stares at Elena in horror. "Are you insane? You're actually making a deal with this psychopath?"

Elena pinches her thigh under the table, and Caroline squeaks before shutting up. "Deal?" she asks Klaus.

"Counteroffer. I will not protect them. I will, however, promise to stop actively trying to maim and injure the people you care about. This does not extend to the entire town, Elena. You have to choose people."

"Damon. Caroline, Bonnie, Ric and Jeremy." Elena rattles off quickly.

It's Klaus' turn to be surprised. "You didn't include Stefan?"

Elena crosses her arms over her chest and just her chin out in defiance. "He betrayed us. All of us."

"Very well then. I accept your terms." Klaus extends his hand to Elena.

She stares at it like it's a cobra, coiled and ready to pounce. Tentatively she reaches out and shakes his hand.

He grasps her fingers firmly and leans in close. "Do not double cross me, Elena. You have two weeks." He releases her hand and slides out of the booth. His exit from the Grill is surprisingly peaceful, until he collides with Damon at the doorway. Klaus grins evilly at him and brushes by, disappearing into the night.

Damon is shocked and stands there staring after Klaus, trying to process that the Original vampire was just at the Grill. He is torn between going after the Original, and making sure Elena is okay. It takes a second before he remembers its _Elena_, and suddenly it's not even a choice. "There is no way I am drunk enough to have hallucinated that," he growls en route to the table, knowing Caroline can hear him. He gives Elena a quick once over, confirming that she is physically fine. He is absolutely terrified, knowing that she was just alone with the Original and he wasn't there to protect her. Damon refuses to show it, however, and buries the feeling under layers of anger. "Well now I understand why you weren't answering my texts. Care to explain what the fuck just happened?" he asks both girls, coming to a stop at the edge of their booth.

Elena is having trouble finding words, and Caroline throws up her hands in defeat. "You're the one who agreed to this, you tell him!" She grabs her purse and storms over to the bar again. She needs the shots Klaus stole more than ever now, and as frustrated as she is with Elena she isn't about to leave her entirely alone to deal with Damon.

"I'm waiting, Elena," Damon taunts, and his teasing tone takes her mind to all the other things he could possibly be waiting for; namely her, ready and willing.

She shakes her head to clear it, and drags Damon into the booth to sit with her. "Don't get pissed at me, it's not like I called up Klaus and asked for a drinking buddy."

"Drinking buddy? Elena, you do realize that you were just in the middle of the Grill with a batshit crazy Original vampire who has either killed or tried to kill nearly everyone you care about?"

"I'm fully aware!" She spits back at him, visibly shaking.

Immediately Damon regrets snapping at her. The last thing he wants is to hurt Elena, and he realizes he should have handled the situation with more tact. He's sure that she's done something stupid again, given how Caroline is mad at her, but he would rather sit next to her with her pressed snugly into his side than yell at her while she cries.

She gives him the Coles Notes version of Klaus' visit, and Damon grows more and more agitated. When she explains that she made a deal to find Stefan and Klaus' family in two weeks, Damon suddenly understands why Caroline is angry. She stops speaking when she feels him tense up next to her and sees his jaw clench.

"Did you not learn anything from the last time you made a deal with an Original, Elena? You didn't even think to include yourself on that list?"

Elena falters for a moment; she knows that he's scared that something else horrible will happen to her (as if enough hasn't already), and she understands that. She finds her backbone again and glares at him. "No, Damon, I didn't. Klaus told me to choose specific people that I wanted to make sure no harm came to. We've been over this before. I would happily trade my life to see everyone else safe."

Caroline starts to make her way back to the booth. She's had several more shots and is feeling less tense, and even without her vampire hearing she was able to catch bits of Damon and Elena's conversation from the bar.

"Not to interrupt your little love spat, but subtlety really doesn't seem to be your specialty. People can hear you. Why don't you two take this back to the boarding house? I'll round everyone else up and meet you there so we can start working on a plan. It's almost 8, so I'll give you two half an hour to sort your shit out and get on the same page." Caroline winks at Elena and leaves the Grill.

Damon is still quietly fuming, so without a word he gets up, gently taking Elena's elbow and guiding her from the bar. They get into his car and spend the drive back to the boarding house in silence. Elena crosses her arms, pushing up her breasts just enough that Damon can't help but notice and he has to remind himself to keep his eyes on the road. The moment the car stops in the driveway Elena flings the door open, not even waiting for Damon to put the vehicle in park. She slams it behind her and storms into the house, him following in her wake.

He finds Elena hovering near his liquor supply, a cut crystal glass with amber liquid in her hand. She tosses back the glass, and Damon blurs in front of her, taking the glass and setting it on the table.

"What are you doing, Elena?" he asks, his tone softer than at the bar.

She manages to keep glaring at him for all of five seconds before the fight goes out of her, and she slumps back into a leather chair. Her eyes remain cast downward, following the patterns on the antique Persian rugs.

"I just want to make sure everyone I love is safe," she mutters, knowing he hears the words as clearly as if she were screaming them directly in his ear.

Damon swears his undead heart just skipped a beat; she included him on that list. He dares to let himself hope that she returns his feelings, even just for a second, before he pushes that all aside. Reaching out to her, he grasps her hands and pulls her upright again, folding her into an embrace. He tangles one hand in her hair and the other rests on her lower back, keeping her pressed tightly against him. He can't stop thinking about how perfectly she fits in his arms, or how incredible she smells. He wonders when Elena started carrying his balls around in her purse, and realizes that he doesn't even care.

Surprise is the first thing Elena feels, followed by a sense of safety and comfort. She and Damon have hugged several times, but she can't recall a time that he initiated it. His chest is radiating warmth and she catches herself trying to burrow further into him. The alcohol now coursing through her bloodstream loosens her tongue, and she finds herself saying something she's afraid she might regret. "Is it so hard to believe that my first thought was to make sure Klaus wouldn't hurt you? That if he really wanted to hurt me, all he'd have to do is go after you?"

She feels his hands slide up to cup her face, and Damon backs up a few inches searching her eyes. She has this nagging feeling that they've been in this position before, but she can't quite remember when or why. Elena meets his gaze as her hands clasp behind Damon's neck, and she bites her lower lip in nervousness.

Immediately his eyes drop to see her plump lower lip held by her teeth, and he involuntarily lets out a groan. Slowly he dips his head a few inches, hovering just above her lips before looking into her eyes once again.

"I'm not dying this time, Elena," he whispers, so close to her that she swears she can feel his lips moving. "If you don't stop, I can't pretend it never happened."

She takes in a sharp breath, paralyzed by his words. He's giving her an out, and she falls just a little bit harder for him knowing that he's still willing to sacrifice his happiness for her. Seconds tick by, neither one of them moving, and then he sees it. She's moved forward by the tiniest fraction of an inch, as if she knows only his heightened vision would be able to tell. As he moves to close the infinitesimal distance between them, Elena's cell phone starts ringing in her pocket.

The moment's gone, and Damon lets out another groan, this time in frustration. He drops his forehead onto hers, both of them with eyes closed, and he savours the last few seconds he can.

Suddenly Elena's standing by herself, and she opens her eyes to see Damon with a bottle of his precious bourbon. He takes a swig straight from the bottle; there's no point in using a glass for the amount of alcohol he'll need to consume to even begin to attempt dulling his desire for her. He feels like their picture would be in the dictionary next to 'Unresolved Sexual Tension'.

Elena pulls her phone from her pocket and sees Caroline's name flashing on the screen. "Hey Care," she answers, trying her best to be casual.

"Five minute warning!" her best friend declares in a sing-song voice. "Thought you might appreciate it."

"I guess I'll see you in a few then. Thanks." Elena hangs up the phone, and walks closer to Damon. She rests a hand on his bicep, trying to be reassuring.

He leans into her touch for a moment, and then pulls away. "Stop." He says in a pleading tone, refusing to look at her. Damon's sure that she'll do what she always does and pretend that they weren't about to kiss, that they weren't interrupted by a phone call for the second time, that she doesn't have feelings for him. He's used to that, he can handle that. The apologetic attempt to comfort him is more than he can handle right now.

The front door swings wide open just then, with Caroline at the head of the pack. She has Bonnie right next to her, with Alaric and Jeremy following behind.

"I figured we should leave Tyler behind," she says with a strained voice, "Something tells me plotting against his new best friend might not go over so well."

Elena is immediately enveloped in a hug from Bonnie, with a promise to do whatever she can to help. Damon pours a glass of bourbon and hands it to Ric as the teenagers assemble in the living room.

"So. We need to kill Klaus." Says Jeremy, trying to break the tension. "Is anyone else getting a serious case of déjà vu?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>"<em>You and I, we have something... an understanding."<em>

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><p>There are a few moments of silence before Caroline lets out a little giggle at Jeremy's bluntness. Usually she's the one stating the blatantly obvious, and it's a nice change for her seeing Elena's baby brother being a little more light hearted.<p>

"Didn't we exhaust every available option last time?" grumbles Bonnie, remembering just how much of herself she put on the line only to have Elijah betray them.

"Why don't we focus on finding Stefan first?" suggests Elena, trying to keep the atmosphere in the boarding house positive. "If we find Stefan, Klaus' family will have to be nearby."

She's sitting on the arm of the leather chair Damon is currently sulking in. He has yet to say anything, too occupied with nursing his glass of bourbon and staring into the fireplace. She rests a delicate hand on his shoulder, trying to show him that she cares. Elena knows he's frustrated and hurting; she's pulled away from him and refused him so many times and she's sure it doesn't get easier. It can't have helped that, were it not for Caroline's phone call, she wouldn't have refused his advances.

Damon angrily tosses back the rest of his bourbon and slams the glass down beside him. "It's not going to be that easy to find Stefan. He's back on the people blood, his powers are stronger than before and he could be anywhere by now. And even if we _do_ find him, who says he's going to cooperate with us?"

"So we're not even supposed to try? I can do a locator spell, like when Rose and Trevor kidnapped Elena," Bonnie offers. She's still not entirely enthused, but at least has the good sense to know that helping find Stefan is the lesser of two evils.

Jeremy shakes his head, holding back a sarcastic chuckle. "Guys, seriously? If you were trying to find someone and you _weren't_ aware of supernatural options, what would you do?"

Everyone stares at him for a moment before he plucks his phone out of his pocket and dials Stefan on speakerphone. They're all surprised when Stefan actually answers.

"Jeremy." Stefan greets, his tone clipped.

"Stefan, what's up?" asks Jeremy casually, leading Alaric to snort.

There's silence for a moment. "What do you want?"

Jeremy looks at Elena, who motions for him to continue. "Just wondering where you took off to, that's all. We all miss you."

"You're not safe," Stefan replies instantly. "I'm not telling any of you where to find me or Klaus' family."

He takes in a big sigh before continuing. "Then I hope you can live with the consequences of that. None of us are gonna make it out alive. Klaus isn't going to stop until he gets what he wants."

"I'm sorry, Jeremy. All of you will have a better chance without me." There's a click and the line goes dead.

Alaric clears his throat to speak once Jeremy's sat down, looking defeated. "It was worth a try," he offers.

Damon crosses the room to the liquor cabinet, his back turned to the room as everyone silently contemplates a possible next move. When he turns around he's carrying two glasses, and stops in front of Bonnie to hand her the second one. "My blood," he says, pushing it into her hands. "I'm sure you can find a map somewhere around here. You might want to start with the eastern half of the United States and then go from there. He hasn't had enough time to get any further than that."

He returns to his chair with a fresh bourbon-filled glass, and goes back to being captivated by the flames flickering along the hearth. His wrist heals before he even takes his first sip. Bonnie and Alaric head off in search of a map, leaving the two vampires in the living room with Elena and Jeremy.

"Elena, can I borrow you for a few minutes?" Caroline asks, looping her arm through hers and sauntering towards the front door. "We won't be long, I promise." As soon as they're outside, Caroline whips out her phone and quickly types a message, handing it to Elena to read.

_I want details and I'm sure you don't want Damon to hear, so I'm going to take us far enough that he can't hear, okay?_

With a sigh Elena nods, and Caroline motions for her to jump on her back. Elena can't recall the last time she was given a piggyback ride, but she hangs on as Caroline blurs her through the trees. They've been moving for maybe half a minute when the blonde vampire stops in the middle of the woods and helps Elena catch her footing.

"You've read Twilight way too many times," Elena laughs, elbowing her best friend.

"Whatever, that book is so much funnier now that I know the truth. Sometimes I wish I did sparkle though, it'd save me a fortune on shimmer lotion. And speaking of Twilight and love triangles and vampires who have bodies like Adonis, what happened with you and Damon after you left the Grill?"

Caroline is staring pointedly at her; Elena knows she won't be allowed to go back to the house until she spills.

"He was gentle," Elena admits, and Caroline lets out a happy squeal and claps her hands together. "Okay, no, totally didn't mean like that!" she clarifies, a blush rising on her cheekbones. "He wasn't yelling at me anymore. I told him that I wanted everyone I love to be safe, and he actually hugged me."

Caroline can't help the smile that splits across her face. "You love him!" she says cheerfully, trying to contain her need to do a happy dance. This is the most she's ever gotten from Elena on her feelings for Damon, and if it's being spoken out loud that means she's come to terms with it.

Elena opens her mouth to contradict Caroline, and then closes it when she realizes it's true. She does love Damon. She didn't mean that she was _in_ love with him, but she's also pretty sure that she's well on her way to that also being true. "I'm not _in_ love with him," she repeats out loud, for Caroline's benefit. The blonde raises an eyebrow at her. "Okay, not yet, anyway," Elena admits, suddenly very glad that Caroline had the foresight to take them out of Damon's hearing range for this conversation.

"So he hugged you. Then what?" Caroline can't help but pry for details. Any animosity she felt towards the elder Salvatore was long gone when she saw just how far he was willing to go for Elena. As far as she's concerned he's proved several times over that he's changed because of her best friend, and that's good enough for her.

"I'm really glad I had that shot at the Grill... and I might have chugged half a glass of his bourbon at the house for some extra courage..."

"Elena, you're killing me! Spill!"

"I admitted that if Klaus wanted to hurt me the easiest way would be to go after him. And then he almost kissed me."

Caroline lets out an exasperated sigh, flailing her arms about. "Almost?" she practically shrieks. "Elena, seriously? Almost? What the hell stopped you?"

"He did!" Elena admits, grasping Caroline's hands to calm her down. "He wanted it to be real," she says quietly, "he didn't want to pretend it never happened after."

It takes Caroline a second to process that once again, Damon was willing to put aside his own feelings for Elena's happiness. "So? Why didn't you kiss him then?"

"I was about to, Care! He was so close, and the alcohol was making me feel so brave, and then you called with your five minute warning," says Elena, frustrated.

Almost immediately Caroline can't restrain herself and actually starts doing a happy dance in circles around Elena. "You want to kiss him!"

"Yes, I know, and you interrupted us!"

"Doesn't matter, Elena! You do realize that you're finally admitting there's something there? That you want him? It's okay to feel like this, and I'm so happy for you that you finally see that!" Caroline envelops her in a hug, and then pushes back quickly. "You have to tell him. You have to go back and kiss him right now."

"Have you lost it?" laughs Elena, "Alaric and Bonnie and my brother are still there. We're trying to find Damon's brother. You expect me to just walk in there and kiss him, just out of the blue?"

Caroline nods, giving Elena a playful nudge in the direction of the boarding house.

"No. Absolutely not. No way."

"Elena, come _on_! He has been waiting for this for almost two years."

"A little longer won't kill him, then." She says, her tone letting Caroline know she won't be changing her mind.

The blonde is frustrated, and motions for Elena to start walking back to the boarding house with her. She figures they've got a few hundred feet before they hit a point where Damon can hear them. "Why are you so afraid to do this? If I hadn't called, I probably would've walked in on you two half naked and feeling each other up."

Elena goes silent for a few moments, and the only sound is their footsteps moving through fallen leaves and twigs. Her phone buzzes in her pocket with a text, and she sees Damon's name on the screen as she pulls it from her jeans. A small smile lights up her face, and Caroline instantly knows who the message is from.

_Are you okay? No shots with Klaus this time?_

_I'm fine. Caroline just wanted some girl talk. We're on our way back. Thanks for worrying about me._

"I don't want him to think that I'm just giving in to him because there's no other option," Elena admits.

Caroline stops walking and gives her a confused look.

"I want him to know that I'm choosing him for _him_, not because Stefan's back on human blood and travelling with a truck full of daggered vampires. It means a lot to him that it be real, I want to give that to him. He's been hurting for so long, and I refuse to let him feel like he did with Katherine. The only way I'm getting involved with Damon is if he knows it's because I want to be with him and only him." she says quietly, knowing that she'd never feel comfortable saying this to anyone but Caroline. Elena takes a moment to think about how thankful she is for Caroline. Bonnie has been distant lately and even if she weren't, Elena isn't under any delusions that she'd be supportive of her feelings for Damon.

"Speaking of Stefan..." Caroline takes the lead Elena's unintentionally offered and runs with it.

"What about Stefan?"

Cocking her head to the side is all Caroline has to do for Elena to catch on that she wants an explanation.

"I let him go, Care," she sighs, "He's free from Klaus' compulsion now and doesn't seem to want anything to do with me or Mystic Falls. I've spent too much time fighting to save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

"Well, now you just have to make Damon see that you're in love with him because of his sparkling personality and not because Stefan's gone batshit-ripper-crazy!"

Caroline's bubbly attitude is infection, and Elena can't help but smile. "But I'm not in love with him yet!"

The perky vampire smiles and motions for Elena to climb onto her back. "You know, normal people usually start a relationship with someone because they care about them and _then _fall in love, not the other way around."

This makes Elena laugh whole heartedly, and she gives Caroline a hug before getting settled on her back. "Seriously, Care? You're a vampire. I'm a doppelganger. Bonnie's a witch, Jeremy and Alaric have magic rings that bring them back to life, and I'm falling for a formerly psychotic vampire whose brother is my vampire ex-boyfriend that we're about to chase across the country to get back the family of the _other_ psychotic vampire who killed me a few months ago. What makes you think normal is even in my vocabulary anymore?"

Caroline chuckles in agreement and grasps Elena's legs. "Okay. You have a point. Now let's get you back to that formerly psychotic vampire before he gets cranky that I've kept you out here so long!"

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><p>Caroline and Elena arrive back at the boarding house to see Jeremy and Damon still lounging in the living room. Damon hasn't moved from his chair, and Jeremy is sitting on the couch fiddling with his phone.<p>

"They're still doing the spell?" asks Elena, surprised. She and Caroline had to have been gone for at least twenty minutes.

Damon shrugs. "Narrowing it down, I guess."

Just then Bonnie comes back in with Alaric right behind her, holding a map. "He's in Kentucky," says Alaric, holding the map out to Damon.

"What, did he get a sudden craving for bourbon and fried chicken?" Damon mutters sarcastically, taking the map. He studies it for a moment, and then sets it down next to him. "Barbie, Mini-Gilbert, you two stay here. Keep an eye on the dog. The rest of you are coming with me. It looks like we're going on a road trip."

Surprisingly no one argues with Damon; it seems as though the continued threat of Klaus has made everyone desperate to get rid of him. There's nearly an eleven hour drive (more like seven or eight the way Damon drives, but still) ahead so Damon offers to drive through the night and get them there bright and early with plenty of daylight to search by. Alaric runs Bonnie back to her house to pack a bag, taking Jeremy with him and getting him settled at the Gilbert house while he retrieves some of his own things. Caroline gives Elena a tight squeeze, and whispers in her ear that she's only a text away and that she wants constant updates.

Elena is left alone with Damon, still sulking in his chair and staring into the fire. "I'm surprised," she says evenly, reaching over to steal away his bourbon. There's not much of the amber liquid left, and she decides to finish it. She's sure he'd kill her if she poured it down the drain, but given the long drive ahead of them she doesn't think he should be finishing it himself.

He watches her as she drains the glass and makes her way to the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a blood bag in her hands. He takes it from her, aware that she wants him to sober up before the drive. Downing it quickly, he leaves the empty bag on the table next to him before he asks her, "Surprised about what?"

"Normally you fight tooth and nail to leave me behind for my own safety, and now it's your idea for me to come along." She sits across from him, keeping his gaze as long as she can before he looks back to the fire.

"The way I see it I have two choices," begins Damon, refusing to meet her eyes again, "I can leave you here in Barbie's hands and hope that she's strong enough if Klaus should decide to drop by again. _Or_, I can keep you with me. I trust myself a lot more than I trust Barbie."

Elena moves from her comfy seat on the couch to kneel in front of Damon. She reaches out and places a hand against his cheek, turning his face to look at her. "The way_ I_ see it, no one else is as invested in keeping me safe as you are." She rises enough to press a soft kiss to his cheek, so low that it's bordering on the corner of his mouth, and then heads up the stairs to gather supplies for the road trip.

Damon blinks for a moment and then his fingertips brush against his skin, memorizing the touch of her lips. A small but genuine smile fights its way to the surface of his lips and he actually lets it sit there for a moment. He grabs two full bottles out of the liquor cabinet and heads up to pack a bag. He's almost positive he'll need more than that to survive being enclosed in a car with Elena, the judgy little witch who seems to enjoy getting on his nerves, and Ric being himself, but he figures at the very least it'll help him survive the first twenty-four hours.

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><p>Alaric ends up driving for the first few hours. It's nearly eleven by the time they leave, and they all agree that they'll be better off the next day if Damon gets a chance to sleep. Damon refuses to let Ric drive his car, so they end up taking Elena's SUV. Bonnie ends up taking the front seat with Alaric, since she's getting along best with him these days. She can see how Elena is gravitating towards Damon, and it makes her worry. She keeps her distance, knowing she can't change Elena's mind.<p>

Damon and Elena are left with the back seat. Elena gets herself comfortable and doesn't protest when Damon stretches out, resting his head in her lap. His legs are in an awkward position, his left knee bent against the back of the seat and his right leg hanging down behind the driver's seat. Despite the odd position, Damon couldn't be more comfortable. He crosses his right arm over his chest and her hand reaches across his chest to grasp his fingers. Elena ends up nodding off with him until they're both woken up around three by Alaric. Bonnie is also sleeping in the front seat, and Alaric suggests they trade. Its pitch black outside and they're on the side of the highway somewhere, and Elena really wishes that Alaric had thought to stop at a rest station.

They climb out of the vehicle and stretch while Alaric gently lifts Bonnie and gets her settled in the back seat. Alaric buckles her in while Elena climbs into the passenger seat. In a blur, Damon zips to the back of the SUV and pops the trunk, grabbing a blood bag. He downs it quickly, and chucks the empty bag back into his cooler. Unsurprisingly, by the time Damon is ready to go Alaric has already passed out in the back.

He starts the SUV and guides it back onto the highway, driving in silence. Minutes pass and Elena has yet to fall back asleep. She's strangely wide awake, and suspects that she's become so used to falling asleep with Damon that her body can't sleep without him touching her.

As Elena's contemplating her unconscious dependency on him, Damon is doing everything he can to keep his eyes on the road. He's grateful he had the foresight to down the blood before driving; if he hadn't he'd be fighting with himself not to jump Elena. With all the practice he's had resisting her he should be fine, but her scent seems to be enveloping him in the closed off atmosphere of the SUV and it's slowly driving him mad. Damon Salvatore may be a hundred and seventy year old vampire, but he's first and foremost a man (_very much a man_, he snickers to himself) and Elena Gilbert is his every temptation rolled into a pretty human package. With a sigh he opens his window enough to let in some fresh air, and turns the music up a little louder in an attempt to distract him from the sounds of her heartbeat and blood rushing through her veins.

Within moments he realizes that Elena plugged her iPod in while he was having his snack, and suddenly it's that much harder to ignore her. Within Temptation's 'All I Need' is pouring through the speakers, and he knows exactly how much the song means to her by the hitch in her breathing from its first few notes. His mind is filled with images of her descending the Lockwood's staircase in a beautiful blue dress, dancing with her in the courtyard, the feeling of having her in his arms with everyone watching. The song comes to an end and he breathes a too-soon sigh of relief.

'Come Home' by OneRepublic is next, followed by Stateless' 'Bloodstream' and then 'I Should Go' by Levi Kreis. He's tortured with the memories each song brings, and at least the ones attached to the last song are somewhat positive. He remembers her forgiveness and her kiss as he lay dying, and he can hear Elena's heart beat just a little bit faster as the last one ends.

His mind is thoroughly blown with the next song that plays. It's 'I Was Wrong' by Sleeperstar, and even the highest volume the car stereo can reach wouldn't be enough to drown out the sound of Elena's heart beating faster. It's taking everything Damon has to keep calm right now as the soundtrack to his life with Elena fills his ears, and Elena clearly can't sense that as she reaches out to rest her hand on his right arm.

Pulling over seems like the only logical thing to do, and Damon carefully steers the SUV to the side of the highway once again. They sit there in silence, with Damon staring straight ahead and Elena staring at him.

He's nearly panicking now; did his compulsion not work? Maybe if this song had come on by itself, he wouldn't bat an eyelash but after the first three? This song tortures him every time he hears it, every time he thinks about the night he told her he loved her and then compelled away the memory. It had been playing while he was in her room, and every time he's heard it since all he's been able to think about is how she makes him feel. Closing his eyes, Damon leans his head against the seat as he remembers how long her legs were in her tiny plaid pyjama shorts, and how the fabric of her blue tank clung to her torso. He remembers how she couldn't break eye contact with him as he poured his heart out to her, how she didn't try to stop him and it seemed like she knew he just needed to get it out.

Damon can still feel her eyes on him, and he slowly turns to face her.

Her heart is beating so fast in her chest right now that Elena is surprised she hasn't had a heart attack yet. She had planned to tell him eventually, preferably in a setting that didn't involve Bonnie and Alaric sleeping in the back of her car as they drove to fix Stefan's mistakes. The fact that he even recognized the songs was more than enough for her, but she had completely forgotten that she'd put 'I Was Wrong' on this playlist and the way he tensed up as it started playing was a dead giveaway. There's nothing that can be done about it now, the fact that he's gone so far as to pull over shows that he's aware of what the song means.

Elena takes a deep breath, steeling her resolve as she looks straight into Damon's eyes and says, "I remember. I remember everything."

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><p><strong>AN:** Holy response to chapter 1! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed; I wasn't planning on posting again until Sunday but the positive response and overwhelming number of alerts and reviews inspired me to get writing again sooner. My poor hubby wasn't expecting a 4,000 word chapter so soon after the first one but he powered through and I love him for it.

I know that 'Bloodstream' was playing when Katherine was pretending to be Elena, but the song is so perfect for Damon and Elena that I had to throw it in there anyway. Hubby really likes that song, so I included it for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>"<em>Everything Damon's done, he's done for love." <em>

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><p>Caroline is warm and cozy under the safety of her comforter, watching <em>Dancing with the Stars<em> when her cell phone rings. She spares a glance and when she sees Tyler's name on the screen she tosses the phone back into the covers. A few seconds after it stops making noise, it vibrates to indicate a text message. With a huff, the blonde vampire grabs the nearby remote to pause her show before bringing the phone closer to her face.

_I'm sorry. Give me another chance. I don't want to disappoint you._

She huffs out a sigh from a breath she didn't need to take, and reaches for the remote to get back to the dancing goodness. Before she can hit the play button her phone vibrates again. Frustrated, she chucks the remote aside and looks at the screen again.

_Pretty please?_

A laugh escapes her throat and she quickly claps her hand over her mouth to stop it. Maybe Tyler was at least a little bit right at homecoming; if he's sired to anyone, it's her. She can't imagine him saying 'pretty please' for anyone but her and it makes her smile. Her fingers are flying over the keypad to respond when another message pops up on her screen.

_Let me show you how sorry I am. Please look out your window._

Caroline is surprised; Tyler saying 'please' twice in a row is an unusual occurrence on its own, but being accompanied by an implied apology is enough to make her head spin. Forgetting that she's wearing Hello Kitty pyjamas and no makeup save for mascara, she pushes her comforter from her legs and hops out of bed. She stops herself from going straight to the window and begins pacing. Making this easy for him is not what she wants to do, but she's having trouble practicing restraint. A light tapping noise comes from her window and she realizes that he's now taken to chucking pebbles at the glass pane.

Patience has never been Caroline's forte, and the insistent tapping at her windowpane is breaking her resolve stone by stone. She rushes to the window and flings it open with a murderous hiss, fangs on display.

"Are you fucking crazy? My _mother_ could hear you!" she exclaims in an angry whisper. If she can't be patient, she'll settle for being furious and making him work for her forgiveness.

He rolls his eyes and chucks a pebble at her, laughing when it makes contact with her bare shoulder. "Your mother isn't here, Care. No heartbeat."

Her fangs retreat into her gums as she struggles to maintain her angry expression. Of course Tyler would be able to hear that her mother wasn't in the house. He shifts away from the shadows of the night and moves closer to the house. Upon seeing the bouquet of flowers in his hands, her expression softens. She can smell them from her room and the bright pink of the stargazer lilies threatens to put a smile on her face. "Just come to the front door," she sighs, closing the window.

As she steps back it hits her that she's in nothing but flannel Hello Kitty print capris and a thin white tank with the cartoon cat's face smack in the middle, without even a bra underneath. She curses and flits to her closet, flinging off the ridiculous pyjamas and replacing them with jeans, a sweater and the appropriate undergarments. Caroline's impatience gets the best of her and she uses her vampire speed to rush to the front door. With a deep breath she adjusts her hair and her top before opening the door.

Of course Tyler is standing on the other side, an apologetic look on his face as he holds the bouquet of lilies in front of him. "I'm an ass," he admits, his shoulders tense as he fidgets on her doorstep.

Caroline nods in agreement, and stands back from the doorframe to allow him into the hallway. The door closes behind them as Tyler grasps Caroline's hand and leads her to the living room where they sit side by side on the sofa. They sit in silence for a moment before he presses the lilies into her hands, and she can't stop herself from smelling them.

"I'm a really big ass," Tyler reiterates, clasping one of Caroline's hands in his. "I'm sorry for how I handled things at homecoming."

"Go on," she says encouragingly, making sure that he knows he isn't getting away with his behaviour that easily.

"I tried to explain most of this to you then," he says, squeezing her hand, "As much as I hate feeling loyal to Klaus, I'm better this way. I don't have to Change. You're the only person I know who could possibly understand how much that means to me. You saw how terrified I was to go through it the first time; you know how painful it is. I hate not being in control of my actions, or remembering most of the things I do while I'm a wolf."

She nods, but feels the need to point out, "You're still not in control of your actions. If Klaus says jump, you'll ask him how high."

He nods in agreement. "I know, and I hate that. I really do, Care, but if it's a choice between feeling loyal to Klaus and being a full-blooded werewolf, I'd take Klaus any day. At the rate he's going, Damon or Bonnie will kill him soon anyway, and then I'll be free."

Caroline can't help but feel for Tyler; she totally understands and can hardly blame him for feeling like he's more in control as a hybrid. At the same time, she worries about the practicality of the entire situation. How can she maintain a relationship with him when she knows she won't be able to be honest with him? The hopeful look on his face tugs at her heart, and she knows with great certainty that she can't walk away from him again.

"What if we can't find a way to kill Klaus?" she whispers, laying her greatest fear out for him.

He shrugs, trying to remain positive. "I don't know, Care... I doubt Damon will give up though, you know he won't stop until Elena's completely safe. We can hope for that, at least."

It's not as solid of an answer as she'd like, but she recognizes that sometimes you can't have the answers to every question. "How would this work though, Ty? At this point, you're just as much of a risk as Stefan was before homecoming. Between the compulsion and the blind loyalty to Klaus, we had to keep him in the dark about nearly everything to make sure things wouldn't get shot to hell."

The hybrid understands her hesitation; it has to be a tough situation to face. He hates putting her in a position where she can't be completely honest with him but at the same time the days he's spent apart from her have been driving him insane. At first he thought he just missed having anyone's company, but when he caught himself staring after her any time he saw her in town, he realized it might be more. He kept finding himself hanging around the Grill, hoping she'd show. It wasn't until he saw Damon Salvatore sitting alone at the bar with a bottle of scotch, obviously waiting for Elena to make an appearance that he realized he was just as fucked up for Caroline Forbes as Damon was for Elena Gilbert.

Caroline takes his silent contemplation for potential acquiescence. "Are you..." She tilts her head to the side, trying to get a read on him. "Are you okay with that idea? Me and everyone else just not telling you what's going on?" It's not really her ideal scenario for a relationship, but in all honesty it's probably their best bet until there's no Original vampire Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. She doesn't like to admit it but she's missed having him around. Not to mention she's been a lot tenser without him, and is in desperate need of a forty of very strong booze and an evening in bed with him.

A small smile breaks across Tyler's face. "Caroline, in case you haven't noticed, you kind of have me whipped. I made a mistake and at this point, I don't really care what I have to do to make it up to you. Not even Klaus can change the way I feel for you, and I am _begging_ you to give me another chance."

It takes Caroline's heightened vampire intelligence half a second to process Tyler's words before she sets the lilies on the coffee table and straddles him. "The way you feel for me?" she asks in a small voice, feeling her insecurities bubbling under the surface of her skin.

One of Tyler's hands settles against her hip, keeping her firmly anchored, as the other reaches up and tangles in her blonde locks. "I'm falling in love with you, Care," he admits in a soft tone. He never thought he'd find himself here, but as it stands he can't push the perky vampire out of his brain or his heart. In that moment it occurs to him that he's only ever felt this strongly for one other person; Klaus. It's a scary thought, but as he strokes her hair and gazes into her eyes he comes to the heart-stopping conclusion that his feelings for Caroline are far stronger than those of loyalty for his sire. Tyler suddenly realizes that there is nothing he wouldn't do for this girl, and not even Klaus can change that.

She can tell that he's thinking, can see the changes in his facial expressions as he toys with her strands and squeezes her hip. The surprise and wonder fade into a happy look of acceptance, and she can't stop herself from asking, "What were you thinking just now?" His look of confusion makes her speak again. "I mean, you can't just declare that you're falling in love with me and then stare at me for ten seconds while your face looks like you just saw Disneyland for the first time."

Tyler can't help it; he breaks into laughter and pulls her close to him, burying his nose in the scent of her throat. "Oh Care," he says as he presses his lips to her jaw, "Never change."

She allows him to capture her lips in a searing kiss and loses herself in the sensation for a moment before the rational side of her brain kicks in. "Tyler... Tyler, wait," she says, pressing a hand to his chest to keep him at a distance. "What about Klaus?" she asks.

He shrugs, wrapping his arms tightly around her petite waist. "Just keep me on a need to know basis," he says, letting his fingers trail along her spine. "If you don't want Klaus to know, don't tell me. He isn't going to stop until he gets all those coffins back from Stefan, and I'm already going to be caught in the middle. I will do everything I can to prove you can trust me; all I ask in return is that until he's not a problem anymore, you keep me as out of the loop as possible."

Caroline's eyebrows draw together in concern. "Are you really going to be okay with that?"

"I have to be," he says in a reassuring tone. "How about when you and I are together, we just focus on us. No Klaus, No Stefan, no vampire-werewolf-hybrid-doomsday drama. Can you do that?"

It seems like a brilliant idea to her, and she nods her consent. This is the best way for everyone to be happy, themselves included. And quite frankly she's surprised she's lasted this long since his declaration of his feelings for her without tearing his clothes off and showing him she feels the same way. A seductive smirk makes its way across her face and as her fingers begin to make quick work of the buttons on Tyler's shirt, he realizes her intentions.

Reaching up to close the distance between them, Tyler meets her lips and pulls her as close as possible. In a flash she's stretching their bodies along the length of the sofa, smiling against his lips as she pushes his shirt off his shoulders. Not to be outdone, he scoops Caroline into his arms and next thing she knows he's laid her out on her bed. As he undoes his belt buckle she sits up and helps, yanking it through the loops of his jeans. In her impatience she rips off his jeans, making him laugh. Tyler is quick to return the favour, sweeping her sweater over her head as she shimmies out of her jeans. They pause for a moment and stare at each other, breathless, and then Tyler's hips are pressing her back into the mattress.

As far as Caroline's concerned, Tyler still has some making up to do... and she plans on having him spend the rest of the night doing just that.

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><p>In the SUV on the side of the road, Damon is on the verge of hyperventilating. His brain is working overtime, desperately trying to come up with a way that he can play this off without it being obvious. He has no idea why his compulsion has worn off, and right now is <em>not<em> the appropriate time for Elena to be confronting him about it.

The stereo fades into silence, and he turns the vehicle off. With a deep breath he gives Elena his most confused look, and then gets out of the SUV. She stares after him, wondering what the fuck just happened. She just told him that she remembered his confession, and all he does is ignore her and get out of the car? Angry, she unbuckles her seatbelt and joins him on the side of the road.

Damon is kneeling next to the passenger's side back tire, making a show of fiddling with a tire gauge and checking the rubber surface over. The air is damp and he's almost positive it's about to start raining. He sighs and drops his shoulders when he hears her door open, and it's only four small steps before she's standing behind him. He's afraid to turn and look at her, terrified that the second he sees her face he won't be able to keep his mask in place.

"What the fuck, Damon?"

Okay. That he was not expecting. Elena _never_ swears; the foul and offensive abuse of the English language has always firmly been his territory, and he would resent her taking that from him if it weren't for the fact that hearing her say 'fuck' (and imagining all the other ways he can make her utter that word) sent all the blood from his brain directly into his dick.

A quick flick of his wrist tightens up the air valve on the tire, and he rises from the ground, straightening his shoulders before turning to face her.

"Such _language_ Elena," he admonishes, the side of his mouth turning up in a smirk. "I see I'm rubbing off on you."

His eyebrows dance and she just glares at him, her arms crossed and her hip jutting out on a defiant angle.

"Are you seriously doing this right now?" she asks him, her tone a mix of righteous anger and indignation.

"Doing what?" he asks, deliberately being facetious. "I heard a pop, and being the gentleman that I am, thought it would be best to make sure the tire was intact so that _you_ wouldn't be stuck on the side of the road in the middle of the night waiting for Triple A."

She narrows her eyes at him, blood rising to her cheeks as her face grows hot with irritation. "You are so full of shit, it's un-fucking-believable!" Elena spits out, not knowing that her continued cursing is wreaking havoc with Damon's libido.

"Listen, Elena," he says, drawing out the syllables of her name as he gets in her face, "I don't know what's crawled up your ass, but I highly suggest you remove it before getting back in the car."

Damon brushes past her, ignoring the look of shock and hurt on her face as he comes around the front of the SUV. He's desperately trying to hold himself together, to keep that mask of indifference on his face before he cracks. He needs to focus; they need to find Stefan, get Klaus' family, and return the coffins. He needs to lock Stefan up for vampire rehab and return him to his usual broody self, ASAP. He needs to make good on his promise to deliver Stefan safely into Elena's arms. And as much as he would sell his soul for one night with the gorgeous brunette currently glaring daggers at him from the side of the road, he does _not_ need Elena throwing herself into his arms because her first choice isn't available.

"Damon," she says in a strangled, needy voice, stopping him in his tracks. She's turned to face him, and is steadying herself against the hood of the vehicle. "I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it."

Every muscle in his body tenses, and his brain is screaming at him to stop her before things get out of hand but he can't bring himself to do it.

"I love you, Elena," she says softly, parroting his words back at him. "And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you, and why you can't know this." She comes up behind him, and places her hands on his shoulders. Damon can't help but tremble under her touch; he's torn between waiting to see where she's going with this (while simultaneously trying not to think about how many times she's relived this memory to be able to recite his words _perfectly_) and running as far away as possible as fast as he can. "I don't deserve you, but my brother does." Carefully she places enough pressure on his right shoulder while pulling at his left to get him to face her. He meets her eyes, more nervous than he's ever been in his life. She takes a deep breath and then lifts herself up on her toes just enough to press a soft kiss on his forehead.

Damon thinks he's died, because there's no way he's living through this torture right now. He's positive that the shape of her lips will be tattooed on his skin by the time she pulls away, and he wishes more than anything that this isn't happening right now. She's settling back on her heels and staring into his eyes like she's looking for answers, and as much as he wants to give them to her he can't help but feel terrified right now. What he wouldn't give for this to be happening once he has Stefan back at the house, safely terrorizing fluffy bunnies and other woodland creatures. As much as he loves this girl and wants nothing more than to show her how deeply she's branded his heart, for the sake of his own sanity he can't let her do this now. He opens his mouth to interrupt her, to stop her from talking, to be the insufferable asshole he knows he's capable of being if it means getting her to be quiet.

Elena sees his lips part, and quickly presses a finger over them to silence him. She's not done, and she's not letting him run away. Cautiously, she lets her hand slip down to twine her fingers with his. "God, I wish I didn't have to forget that, Damon." She's paraphrasing now but doesn't care, her point has been made and the shakiness of his fingers in hers confirms this. "But I had to. You didn't give me a choice."

Damon takes a moment to remind himself that he's been a vampire for nearly two centuries and that an eighteen year old girl shouldn't terrify him as much as Elena Gilbert does (he conveniently ignores that she's been under his skin and imprinted on his bones since the day he laid eyes on her), and then he slowly sweeps his eyes upwards from her boot-clad feet, slowing over her delicate collarbones before meeting her gaze. He breathes a sigh of relief, and gives her a tender look. "I thought saying it would make it easier for me to let go," he admits, allowing himself to twist a lock of her chestnut tresses around his finger.

"You compelled me, Damon. I trusted you to never do that." There's hurt in her voice and it kills him that he's the reason for it, that he's going to be the reason for it all over again.

"I'm sorry," he says, and it's the most he's ever meant it. Elena's always been worth real apologies, not his usual half-assed excuses like the one he gave to Mason and recycled for Ric. He captures her gaze as his pupils dilate, and Elena can't look away. "I'm sorry that I have to take this memory from you, Elena. And I'm sorry that I can't let you remember that night, either. For tonight, you'll remember that I stopped again to make sure we hadn't popped a tire. None of this ever happened."

Elena's eyes widen as Damon works his compulsion over her, and he certainly isn't expecting the resounding crack her palm makes against his cheek as she slaps him.

"Seriously?" she exclaims in disbelief, trying not to let on how hurt she really is.

"Ow, what the fuck, Elena?" he returns, rubbing his palm against his skin. "You're not wearing the necklace anymore; it's on the BarbieKlaus corpse in my basement!"

She cocks her head to the side, fixing him with a disbelieving stare. "You really think that I'd be stupid enough to run with vampires and not ingest vervain every day after giving the necklace back to her? How could you? I could understand the first time, but this? Damon, how am I supposed to trust you if you keep trying to compel me?"

"How the hell do you remember that night?" Damon demands, and he can't stop the note of panic from creeping into his voice.

"Apparently death works both ways for breaking compulsion," Elena says with a sigh. "It's like when Elijah was daggered and Katherine got out of the tomb, except... I died. And when I came back, I remembered."

He stares at her, his fist clenching in the open air like he can't decide whether he's going to slam it into the hood of the SUV or not. He leans back against the hood, closing his eyes for just a moment. "All this time..."

"You're not off the hook, you know," Elena says crossly, nudging him with her elbow as she rests next to him. "You just tried to compel me again. This time? Not so forgivable."

"Do you blame me?" Damon asks in a low tone, refusing to meet her eyes.

The silence hangs heavy in the air between them for a few moments, and then a voice comes from behind them.

"I blame you," says Ric, almost cheerfully.

Damon whirls around and fixes him with a murderous gaze while Elena stifles a smile. She's not surprised or upset that Ric caught them, and she knows Damon's far too fond of him to do anything permanent.

"Oh come on, Damon, really?" asks Alaric as he stands next to the vehicle looking smug. "She's been putting vervain in nearly everything she drinks since homecoming. If anything, you should be proud of her for being proactive about it. It's not her fault that it backfired on you."

The only thing stopping Damon from delivering a swift punch to Ric's jaw is Elena's hand on his arm, applying just enough pressure to indicate that despite his asinine attempt to wipe her memory she still wants him next to her. A look from Elena has Ric wisely getting back into his seat, keeping his mouth shut as he checks to confirm Bonnie is still sleeping.

"This conversation isn't over, Damon," Elena says seriously.

He gives her a quizzical look with a raised eyebrow. "Why aren't you furious and trying to stake me right now?"

Elena fixes him with a heated gaze. "Oh don't get me wrong, Damon. I'm mad, but I understand what you're thinking and why you reacted the way you did. You'll just have to wait and see why what you did was such a big mistake." She stretches up on her tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to the corner of his jaw, just below his ear. "We'll continue this discussion later, when we don't have an audience."

Damon stands at the front of the SUV, staring as the source of all his frustrations neatly buckles her seatbelt and gets comfortable for the rest of the drive. He stares up at the sky, wondering why Elena Gilbert was sent to torture him, and at that moment the rain he sensed earlier begins to pour.

"Great. Just fucking great." He mutters, moving back to the drivers' side door as the rain soaks his hair and leather jacket. Another four hours on the road ahead of him, with Alaric snickering at his stupidity from the backseat and Elena being both a temptation and infuriation in the front seat. He slides into his seat, shaking the rain from his hair as he starts the ignition. Elena flashes him a smile that seems to say 'just you wait', and he groans. "Fuck my life!"

"What was that, Damon?" Elena grins, and the vampire knows she heard him perfectly.

He refuses to acknowledge her words, and instead focuses on guiding the SUV back on the highway for the long drive ahead.

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><p><strong>AN:** Apologies for the delay.. hubby took me skiing for my birthday last weekend and I ended up crashing into the mountainside. My right arm has been kinda useless for a few days; it still hurts to move it in certain directions but I'm finally able to type for long periods of time without it hurting the whole way up my arm. My rotator cuff might be torn, I'm waiting on an ultrasound appointment to confirm. I'm hoping to keep a regular updating schedule of once a week at the very least. A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Here's hoping this one met your expectations.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 

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><p>"<em>I'm trusting you... Don't make me regret it."<em>

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><p>The silence in the vehicle is deafening. After the playlist fiasco Damon refused to allow Elena any control over the music, and he gave up on flicking through local radio stations when the ones he'd settle on kept going out of range. Now he's staring at the highway ahead, his hands securely at the ten-and-two position on the steering wheel, doing his best to focus on getting them safely to their destination instead of what a monumental fuckup he is. The sun is just starting to appear over the horizon behind them, and he can hear Alaric stirring in the backseat.<p>

He's still baffled that Bonnie slept through the entire drive, and is relieved that Elena passed out shortly after their confrontation on the side of the road. His silent contemplation on how he's going to fix things with Elena is interrupted by Ric.

"Are we there yet?" he whines petulantly, still in the process of waking up.

"How old are we this morning?" he teases the teacher, catching his eye in the rearview mirror.

Alaric groans, stretching his neck from side to side as he rubs his eyes. "What, are you still bitter that Elena pretty much handed your ass to you last night?"

Completely taking his eyes off the road, Damon whips around in his seat to glare at Ric.

"Hey, hey, eyes on the road, dick!" Ric admonishes, reaching forward to push Damon's head in the correct direction. "I'm just saying... You screwed up. It's always one step forward, five steps back with the pair of you."

Damon nods his head in concession, refusing to use words to acknowledge that just maybe, the Van Helsing wannabe is right.

"Look, don't hate me... but I was awake for pretty much the whole thing. And she left her door open, so I heard it all. I get why you compelled her whenever you admitted all of that, and by the sounds of her, Elena gets it too. She was ready to forgive you until you tried to compel her _again_."

A low sound escapes the back of Damon's throat, a mix between a frustrated groan and an angry growl. "Yeah, now I'm pretty sure she's just going to stake me in my sleep," he mutters angrily, tightening his grip on the steering wheel to the point where it creaks out in protest.

Alaric shakes his head and checks to confirm the two girls are still sleeping before continuing. "That's not what it sounded like to me. It sounds more like she's going to make you regret keeping things from her."

Just then Elena shifts in her seat, and a meaningful glare from Damon is enough to shut Ric up. He can hear the change in her breathing pattern and knows her body well enough to recognize she's waking up. A few moments later she lifts her head from her shoulder, blinking as the sun rises.

Elena lets out a little groan as she stretches out her muscles, sore from sleeping upright in a vehicle. "How much longer?" she asks Damon. Her voice doesn't betray how conflicted she's feeling; it's surprisingly even. There's not a single hint of the emotional turmoil she's experiencing where the vampire is concerned. She knows in her heart how she feels for him, but it seems like every time they make progress something happens to negate all of it.

Without taking his eyes from the highway, Damon responds. "About thirty minutes. I figure we'll get to the park and then see if witchy-poo back there can drum us up another spell to narrow it down." He glances into the back seat via the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing at the still-sleeping witch. "Hey Ric, wanna shake Brunhilda a bit for me? She hasn't moved an inch, better make sure she's still functioning."

A look of concern flashes across Alaric's face; Damon is right, Bonnie hasn't stirred once during the trip. He gives her shoulder a gentle nudge, and doesn't receive a response. Worried, he twists in his seat to firmly grasp both of her shoulders and begins shaking while calling her name.

As Elena begins to panic, Bonnie's head lolls across her shoulders and her eyes flutter open. "Oh my god, Bonnie, are you okay?" Elena cries, thrusting her hand into the backseat to grab her friend's hand.

It takes her a few moments, but Bonnie returns to the land of the fully awake. "Huh, what? I'm fine," she says, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, "I don't sleep well in cars, so I took a couple Gravol before we left. No big deal."

Everyone collectively breathes a sigh of relief. Damon muses that they've grown so used to insane supernatural crises that it's sadly natural now how their brains jump to the worst possible conclusion instead of something simple and human, like car sickness and medication. He grudgingly admits to himself that he's relieved the witch is okay; as much as they may not get along, he knows she matters to Elena and he knows that her help (when she hasn't been busy scrambling his brain or lighting him on fire) has been invaluable over these past two years.

Hearing the grumbling of his passengers' stomachs as he sees golden arches ahead next to the highway, Damon elects to do something nice and guides the SUV into the service station. It's just approaching eight in the morning, and he's positive that his companions will function better once they've been fed. Hell, he could use something to eat himself, and as he parks and turns off the vehicle the excited chatter of the girls brings a small smile to his face. Elena and Bonnie scramble out of their seats, Alaric trailing behind them. Damon opts for the cooler in the back instead, ripping into a bag of A negative and releasing a sigh as the chilled blood slips down his throat. It's still not as good as the fresh stuff, but after being cooped up in a car with three warm beating hearts (one belonging to the love of his life), well... the bagged blood is still refreshing.

Damon allows himself to relax into the trunk, sitting next to the cooler and resting his head against the interior. His eyes close, and he enjoys his brief moment of solitude. It doesn't last long, his enhanced hearing picks up the sound of small footsteps and he knows Elena is on her way back to him. Curiously, she's alone; he suspects Bonnie didn't want to eat with him and Alaric kindly offered to keep her company.

"You look tired," says Elena as she approaches, carrying a bag of greasy fast food goodness. "You could take a nap til we hit the park if you want; I could drive the rest of the way. We'll wake you when we've narrowed down the location." She sits next to him and swings her legs up to cross them, opening the paper bag and digging into her breakfast.

For a moment Damon considers taking her up on her offer. He could use a little more sleep, but he doesn't want to risk missing anything. "I'll be fine," he relents, wrinkling his nose as she bites into a hashbrown. It's practically dripping grease and he'd be grossed out if she weren't letting out a little 'mmm' of contentment as she devoured it and licked her fingers clean.

Only Elena Gilbert could unintentionally make McDonald's breakfast sexy.

He has to shake the image from his head, and refuses to look as she happily consumes her sausage McMuffin. He needs to distract himself as she eats, and decides to jump from the frying pan into the fire. "I don't get why you're making such a big deal of it," he says as he checks to make sure Alaric and Bonnie are still inside the restaurant.

Elena turns to him and tilts her head to the side. She knows exactly what he's referring to, but doesn't understand where he's going with this.

"What I mean, Elena, is that the knowledge is hardly a surprise. Why make a fuss?"

Her brows draw together; this is the first time either one of them has alluded to the night he nearly died and she's surprised he's bringing it up while they're in the back of an SUV at a rest station in Kentucky.

Exasperated with her silence, Damon marches on. "You know I'm in love with you, Elena," he groans, refusing to meet her eyes. "You've known for months, and stubbornly refused to acknowledge it, or even admit that you feel something for me too. Why bring all of this up now? What are you hoping to accomplish?"

She studies him for a moment before speaking. "I tried to tell you that night," she says slowly, "when you told me how you felt."

"You said you knew, I didn't realize you meant..." Damon trails off, surprised. "How long?"

Elena immediately knows he's curious as to when his compulsion broke. "When I came back after the ritual."

It makes sense, and Damon's disappointed in himself for not realizing the possibility sooner.

"I've always trusted you to be honest with me, and not to compel me. And you've always done that, except when you returned my necklace. I was trying to tell you that I understood why you did it, and that I'm not mad." She sets aside her half-eaten McMuffin and reaches across to grasp his hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

"You're not mad?" Damon asks in a small voice, mentally kicking himself for how unbelievably insecure he sounds.

A half smile graces Elena's lips as she withdraws her hand. "Well, I wasn't until last night."

Damon braces himself for whatever horrible punishment she's about to lay on him for his stupidity, and wishes that he hadn't panicked the night before. He's half expecting her to tell him he's lost her for good this time; that she'll play nice with him for the sake of getting St. Stefan back, but that she can't even trust him enough to maintain a friendship now.

"Why did you try to compel me again?" she asks tentatively.

He sighs, rolling his shoulders back and staring out into the parking lot. "I freaked out," he admits, "It wasn't my finest moment." A minute passes in silence. "I was afraid." His voice is low and quiet, and the slight tremor to it tugs at Elena's heartstrings.

"Afraid of what?" she asks, reaching out to him again. She shuffles closer to him, leaving a scant inch between their bodies.

Taking a breath he doesn't need, Damon turns to face her. Nothing can stop his hands from sliding up, one cupping her face and the other tangling in her hair. "That you were going to hate me again. I wasn't thinking, I acted rashly, and I made a mistake. I thought if you didn't remember that night, or confronting me last night, that we could keep going as we have been and maybe someday I'd finally get the chance to tell you how I felt when it was _right_."

It's impossible for Elena to tear her eyes from his, and the hitch in her breath lets him know that he's affecting her. Her lids drop slowly as she takes a deep breath, reminding herself to be strong and not fall into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Elena," Damon whispers with feeling, and her eyes snap open to lock on his. "I fucked up. And I'll happily spend the rest of my eternity making it up to you. I've been trying so hard to be the better man you believe I can be..." He hates how needy his voice is but he has no pride left when it comes to this girl. At this point he's sure honesty is his only way to salvation and though he positively loathes having to be straight with his feelings, he knows that nothing else will save him.

Something in his voice resonates within her, and she folds him into an embrace. One of her hands rises and she runs her fingers through his hair, her nails scratching lightly at his scalp. "You already are the better man, Damon," she breathes softly into his ear, and then presses her face into his neck. His scent is heady; a mix of wood smoke, spices and leather. She's sure he'd make millions if he found a way to bottle it and put it on the market.

He lets out a disbelieving snort that just makes Elena hold him tighter. Damon can't stop himself from revelling in her embrace; he's sure that her love is enough for him to become the better man but highly doubts that he's already there. If he were the better man he wouldn't be doing half the things he is with her; at least not with his brother out of the picture. He's positive that somewhere under the Ripper facade Stefan's humanity remains and he's terrified that once Elena realizes that she'll be done with her walk on the dark side and go straight back to his pious brother. No, if he were the better man he wouldn't be bending over backwards in the hopes of winning her heart; he'd be focusing all his efforts on rescuing his brother and fulfilling his promise to deliver Stefan back to her open arms.

His silent contemplation took longer than he realized, and Elena lifts her chin to his ear again, breaking his distraction. "You are, Damon," she tries to convey with her tone that she believes in him, "Your reasons for compelling me prove it, and everything you've done since. You have no idea how proud I am of you."

Feeling bold, Elena turns her head just enough to press her lips against his skin. The contact is fleeting but he can feel his skin burning at her touch even as she pulls back to look at him.

"Promise you won't compel me again, no matter what happens. You're the only person who's always been honest with me, Damon... I'm sure you can imagine what that means to me."

Damon knows; it's the one thing he's always excelled at where his saintly brother has failed horribly. Where Stefan was content coddling Elena and keeping her innocent of the things that go bump in the night, Damon was always sure to tell her every detail and make sure she knew how hard those things bumped back. The only time he held back was when they were first tracking Stefan and she found all the news articles he'd been keeping, and she'd later forgiven him for that. It wasn't hard for her to realize that he'd been reluctant to tell her it was Stefan's victims and not Klaus'. He straightens his spine and leans back enough to look at her thoroughly, taking in every detail of her face. Her eyes are searching his, and he's mesmerized by their depth and the thick fringe of her lashes. There's so much emotion in her eyes that it's overwhelming, and he's paralyzed by it.

The moment is interrupted when Ric clears his throat as he exits the service station, Bonnie trailing behind him. He eyes Damon knowingly; Alaric knows his pseudo-step-daughter and the dark vampire well enough to recognize a tender moment when he sees it and while he hates to interrupt, he's sure the witch walking behind him won't be too enthused.

Alaric isn't quick enough for Bonnie though. She spotted the couple in the back of the SUV from inside the restaurant. She knows it's the worst possible time to bring it up, but she can't help feeling that Elena's making a mistake. The closeness between them is apparently to everyone in their little group, and it makes Bonnie nervous. It doesn't help that she's sure if Stefan weren't off on a bender, Elena wouldn't even dream of practically crawling into Damon's lap. Though her friend isn't the fickle type, Bonnie's worried that she's choosing the bad boy brother because he's both the one who's left standing, and the one who's proven he'll stop at absolutely nothing to keep Elena safe.

That last thought is the only thing that keeps Bonnie from opening her mouth to try and talk some sense into Elena. (And though she won't admit it, she respects Damon just a little bit for being so protective of her best friend's life.)

They all make small talk as they get settled back into the SUV, and the remaining drive to the park passes quickly. Their chatter is laid back and easy, it's almost as if they know that their experience with Stefan once they find him won't be pleasant, and they'd like to hold on to those last moments of light heartedness as long as possible.

A couple turns after the off-ramp and they begin to approach a large wooden sign indicating their destination: Mammoth Cave National Park. Almost immediately, Damon is discouraged.

"Oh, great. Do you see the sign? Mammoth, Elena. As in enormous. Gigantic. Colossal."

"That's what she said!" Ric pipes in gleefully from the backseat in a moment of ridiculous hilarity. His smile breaks when Damon whips around in his seat and fixes him with a glare. It takes a second before it clicks in to Ric the implications of what he just said (and it's still pretty funny when you think about it, if you ignore the fact that the 'she' could very well be his dead vampire ex-wife and Elena's birth mother), and he decides to think more carefully about what he says before letting himself get carried away.

The tension in the vehicle is palpable, and Elena decides to break it. "Really, Ric? That's the best you've got? And here I was expecting you to remind Damon that we're at this park for a reason and he really doesn't need to keep bragging about what's in his pants."

For a moment Elena thinks she went too far; everyone in the SUV is staring at her with their eyes wide, and then Damon bursts into laughter. It appears to be contagious as it spreads to the backseat. Alaric's shoulders are shaking as he chuckles and even Bonnie lets a giggle slip out.

"After all this time, you still manage to surprise me," Damon says affectionately, grinning at her.

Elena settles back into her seat with a happy smile on her face, relieved that the doom and gloom is postponed for just a little longer. She sees the visitors centre ahead, and offers to run in and grab a map once Damon's parked.

It takes her less than a minute before she's back in the vehicle, and they move to a less-occupied area of the parking lot before stopping again. Bonnie takes the map from Elena and smoothes it out on the seat between Alaric and herself, and then shoots a pointed look at Damon. He rolls his eyes and lets his fangs descend, nicking his wrist and allowing a few drops of blood to pool on the park map.

Everyone watches as Bonnie begins to mumble, and after a few moments the blood begins to slide. It moves slowly but comes to a stop on Colossal Cavern, a short distance from the main cave.

"Looks like you were onto something with Colossal," Alaric quips, and Elena lets out a small laugh.

"Shut up, Ric," the vampire threatens, but the smirk on his face lets the teacher know he's not mad.

The men climb out of the SUV and head for the back, deciding who gets what weapon and making sure they're properly armed. Elena insists they give her some vervain darts and a stake at the very least, and is surprised when Damon hands them over without an argument. Just before they set off for the hike to the cave, Bonnie voices her opinion.

"I know the spell says he's there, but does anyone else think it doesn't make sense?"

"Why wouldn't it make sense?" Elena asks.

"We did a spell almost twelve hours ago that said he was in this park. Now, twelve hours later, and he's still here? It's a cave. Why would he stay in a cave for that long?"

Damon folds his arms across his chest and raises an eyebrow at the witch. "Are you saying you're not confident in your magical abilities, Sabrina?"

Shaking her head, Bonnie replies, "Not at all, I just don't see it being logical. It's a cave. In a national park. That hundreds of tourists visit every day. Are we expecting him to be hiding out here? Is this where we think he's hiding the coffins? What are we expecting to walk into?"

Alaric shrugs and starts leading them into the trees. "We don't know, Bonnie. The best we can do is to be prepared and hope for the best."

"Besides," says Elena, falling into step next to Damon, "What does logic have to do with anything we do these days?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" the witch questions, turning from her position behind Alaric to look at her.

Elena can't help but smile as she remembers her conversation with Caroline the night before. "We live in a world with witches, vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, and ancient curses. I'm pretty sure logic went out the window over two years ago."

"You may have a point." Bonnie grudgingly admits with a sigh, and turns back to focus on the direction she's moving in.

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><p><strong>AN**: Going by the reviews, it seems like you guys prefer a focus on Delena action rather than including the full cast. The last chapter had the most hits so far but half the reviews of previous chapters, and my best guess is because of the Forwood interaction. I can't completely abandon the rest of the characters because it'd mess with the plot, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum where I can. Anyway, your reviews are what keep me going so I appreciate them, even if it's just something small!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.

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><p>"<em>So all we have to do is find four coffins and voila- no one else on your family's Christmas list has to die."<em>

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><p>Caroline is feeling frustrated with a side of helpless.<p>

It's a feeling she doesn't like, and not for the first time she wishes she'd insisted that she get to join in for the road trip. Of course then Jeremy would be left unprotected and Tyler would be under Klaus' '_protection_' with no one there to talk some sense into him, and it's this that makes Caroline sigh in defeat, knowing that it's necessary she stay behind.

Her relationship with the hybrid still isn't perfect, but at the very least she understands that he loves her, would do anything for her, and having him in her life is better than the alternative. This way she can make sure that Klaus doesn't force his influence any deeper into Tyler's psyche, and she can still keep him safe.

Her other charge, however, is proving to be more of a challenge.

Jeremy seems to be hell bent on finding a way to kill Klaus, and he isn't exactly being subtle about it. They've discussed the possibilities ad nauseum, and their cause is starting to look just a little more hopeless each time Jeremy brings it up. They've already thrown out the idea of hitting up Duke to talk to Isobel's old research assistant. Possibly getting shot with a crossbow? No thanks. Caroline doesn't want any bloody holes in her clothes, and Jeremy's pretty sure that Alaric's already exhausted everything from that avenue anyway. With Bonnie gone, contacting any witches for help is pretty damned impossible. She knows that the sacrificed witches haven't been very cooperative with Bonnie lately, but she's hoping that Emily might still be hanging around town somewhere. Given that the other alternative is to undagger Rebekah and beg for her forgiveness, Caroline's definitely leaning towards help of the witchy persuasion.

That's how she and Jeremy end up traipsing through the woods just before noon, coming up on the rundown mansion in the middle of nowhere. It's still as creepy and decrepit as always, and Jeremy actually feels a bit nervous about entering. The last time he was here, the witches weren't too happy about their power being used to bring him back to life.

"Are you sure we can't reason with Rebekah?" he asks Caroline in a last-ditch effort to avoid the witch mansion.

She firmly shakes her head, her blonde curls tumbling past her shoulders. "Not gonna happen, sorry. Evil blood sluts are _not_ high on my list of people who might help us take down Klaus. She'll get all pissy that Elena daggered her, and whine about betrayal, and then try and rip my head off or something. And I _like_ having my head on my shoulders, thanks."

Sighing, Jeremy trudges forward, feeling a shiver run up his spine as he crosses the veranda. Caroline senses his hesitation and bravely takes the lead, heading straight into the house. She goes right to the room filled with candles where Bonnie brought Jeremy back to life, and sits directly in the center. Jeremy sits down across from her, still feeling uneasy at being back inside the mansion.

Cracking a small smile at Jeremy, she says, "Thanks for coming with me."

"We're in this together, Caroline. All of us."

She closes her eyes, and begins to plead out loud for Emily's spirit to help them.

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><p>Three hours later and they're still trudging through the woods, but in a different direction this time. The witch house was a failure. Caroline had hoped that Emily might knock something over to indicate she was there or find some way to communicate, but neither of them saw or felt anything. Jeremy had suggested the ruins of the old Salvatore mansion, thinking that Emily spent a lot of time there with Katherine and maybe that might tie her ghost to a location. That too had been fruitless, so they were now coming up on their last hope: the tomb.<p>

It's their last hope, but they both feel that the powerful spell to trap the tomb vampires was enough to forge a link with Emily's spirit. At this point it doesn't hurt to try, though as they make their way through the woods Jeremy can't help but think they have a better shot at reasoning with Rebekah than they do getting Emily's ghost to not only appear but offer them helpful advice.

"I'm hoping there's enough residual magic lying around that it'll help us reach Emily," Caroline explains as they reach the stone staircase into the ground. "If you see or feel or hear anything at all, and I don't react to it, it's going to be her."

"This isn't my first time around with ghosts, Caroline," Jeremy reminds her as they reach the bottom of the stairs. It's eerie now, being in the tomb. There's no sign of life and the last time Jeremy was down here, Katherine was trying her damndest to rip his throat out.

Again, they settle onto the ground and concentrate, determined to find a way to make contact.

"Emily Bennett, I call on you," Caroline says into the empty air, concentrating as hard as she can. Her eyes are squeezed shut and her grip on Jeremy's hands is tight.

Doing his best to remain relaxed, Jeremy tries to keep his mind open. His eyes dart around the tomb as Caroline continues to plead for Emily's ghost to help them. For a few moments it seems like they aren't getting anywhere, and then Jeremy's eyes fix on a spot just behind Caroline's shoulder. At first it seems like a speck of dust swirling in the air, but it begins to grow and stretch into a misty figure. Jeremy's eyes widen as the figure solidifies enough for him to recognize the face, and he can't believe his eyes.

Standing behind Caroline is the filmy apparition of Emily Bennett.

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><p>About fifteen minutes into their hike, Alaric realizes something important while looking at the map and presses his lips together in irritation. "Uh, guys?" he says to get everyone's attention, halting his movements. "Just a thought, but maybe before we set out next time we might wanna take a look at the scale on the map..."<p>

Damon tilts his head and furrows his brows as he marches straight to Alaric and grabs the map out of his hand. He quickly does the calculations in his head and groans. "Really? Okay. How about the three of you stay here, and I'll be back in a few hours."

"What's the problem?" Elena asks.

"I didn't realize how far this cave actually is... it's about a 6 or 7 hour hike from here." Alaric admits sheepishly.

Bonnie moves to stand next to Damon and analyzes the map for a moment. "Going alone isn't an option, Damon. There's another way." She points out the service road that follows around the edge of the park.

"Or you can all stay back at the car, maybe get something to eat, and I'll go deal with this myself!" Damon insists again.

Elena takes the map away from him, folds it and tucks it into her pocket. "Not happening, Damon. We're doing this together, and there's no way we're letting you go off into an unknown cave by yourself." He opens his mouth to argue and Elena covers it with her hand. "No arguments. It'll take us what, maybe a little more than half an hour to walk back to the parking lot and then drive closer? And then maybe another half hour to get to the actual cave? Do the math, Damon. Even if you speed there and back it'd still probably take more time than it will for us all to go together. And I'm not letting you go alone."

He glares at her for a moment, and then lets his tongue lick a slow line across her palm.

"Oh my god, what are you, three?" she exclaims as she yanks her hand back. Damon smirks at her, and she relaxes her shoulders. "Please?"

He relents, and she sees it in his eyes. They turn and head back to the vehicle, with Bonnie and Alaric trailing behind them.

A little over an hour later (and after much grumbling between Damon and Ric about the history teacher's inability to properly read a map during the drive), the foursome stands at the bottom of a steep hill facing the mouth of the cavern.

"So, who wants to be the first inside the deep, mysterious cavern?" the vampire asks with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Ric crows, "That's what she said!" not missing a beat.

Damon just looks at him, exasperated. "God dammit, Ric!" He lasts for all of three seconds before he grins, and his friend knows he's forgiven for failing to read the map earlier.

Given that he's the strongest fighter of their group, Damon takes up the lead while Ric brings up the rear. Everyone is armed, be it with physical weapons or supernatural abilities, and they cautiously make their way into the cavern. The air is chilly, the stone walls damp, and they are moving slowly to make sure they don't miss anything.

Not a single foot of the cavern walls goes unexplored, with everyone looking for any sign of a disturbance. Elena and Damon are taking one side of the wall while Bonnie and Alaric are focused on the other. After what feels like forever, Elena notices a large slab ahead of them that doesn't quite seem to fit in with the rest of the jagged rock face. She points it out to Damon who investigates further and discovers scratch marks along the stone next to it.

"I think we found something," Elena says to Ric and Bonnie, prompting them to join them.

"It reminds me of the giant stone covering the entrance to the tomb under the church ruins," Bonnie points out.

Taking a moment to focus, the vampire hears nothing but silence surrounding them. Damon nods. "Right, so I'll move it and Ric can handle whatever comes out of it. I don't hear anything behind it, so Stefan must have taken off before we got here."

"You think you can just slide it aside while I stand here, guns blazing?" Ric asks in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You're the strongest fighter we have and who knows how Stefan might have booby trapped this thing. You go first!"

"There's a few flaws in your plan there, Ric," the vampire says arrogantly. "First, no one else is strong enough to move this rock. Second, if some sort of wood comes hurtling out it could kill me. You, on the other hand, have a magic ring and the option of vampire blood to heal whatever doesn't kill you. Third," he pauses to smirk, "are you really telling me that you're not capable of handling a room full of daggered Originals and whatever lame bunny-trapping snares my baby brother may have left behind?"

Bonnie pushes her way between the men and examines the rock closely, almost as if she's in a trance. Before Ric can make a smartass reply she holds up her hand to silence him.

The witch can sense the magic surrounding them and somehow (she can't even explain it) she can feel the Originals behind the rock. She's not entirely familiar with the traces of power she feels, but knows that it belongs to a spell she's yet to come across.

"There's a spell," she says, "I'm not sure exactly what it does, but what I recognize doesn't feel evil. The coffins are definitely in there, though."

Elena sighs in relief. "Great, we know where they are. Now we can call Klaus, tell him where to find his family, and be done with this. Stefan has to be nearby, I'm sure we can find him before Klaus gets here."

Alaric begins shaking his head. "Absolutely not. We don't tell Klaus anything until we've tracked down Stefan and even then I vote we take the time to come up with a better plan. Do we really want to just hand over more Originals and Stefan?"

Before the argument can continue, Damon grips the sides of the slab and pulls it out of the way. Everyone freezes before breathing a sigh of relief that no wooden projectiles come flying out. Damon cautiously peers into the opening, and sees the gleam of polished wood.

"I told you I felt them in there," Bonnie points out.

"It's just coffins, how do we know there's even anything in them?" Damon argues.

Armed with a flashlight and his crossbow, Ric takes a step inside the doorway as he says "Stay out here, Damon. We can't risk you being trapped by whatever this spell might be."

"It doesn't feel like that," the witch reminds him.

"Still. I'm not taking that chance." Taking great care with his movements, he steps towards the first coffin and cautiously lifts the lid. Inside is Elijah, daggered and gray. The following two coffins also contain daggered Originals, both men and unfamiliar. "These must be the other two brothers. Judging by their clothes they've been gone a long time."

Elena lets out a confused huff. "This doesn't add up." Three pairs of eyes land on her, waiting for further explanation. "When Rebekah was telling me about their family history, she said there was one sibling lost in the old world, one killed in the new world. That left her, Klaus, Elijah and the two she didn't give me names for. Klaus doesn't even know I daggered Rebekah, and she's still back at the boarding house. Stefan wouldn't take an empty coffin, but everyone else is dead. Klaus' werewolf father is dead and he killed their mother."

"What about Papa Original?" Damon asks. "He burned when Klaus staked him, but maybe he's carting the ashes around in a coffin for sentimental reasons."

"Klaus loathed Mikael," Elena replies, "He wouldn't be carting around whatever's left of him."

As they try to figure out who could possibly be in the fourth coffin, Alaric sets his crossbow on the last coffin he checked and moves to the fourth one. He grabs at the edge of the lid to lift it, but it doesn't budge. "Guys, it won't open." He says through clenched teeth, pushing as hard as he can.

"Maybe its spelled shut?" Bonnie offers, coming up beside Alaric. As she holds her hands over the wood and tries to feel for a spell, Damon and Elena watch in trepidation from the outer cavern. "It feels like really strong magic, but I can't tell what it is. I need more time to figure it out."

Ric and Bonnie exit the smaller room and Damon slides the rock slab back into place. "Klaus is not getting that fourth coffin," he states, determined. "I don't know what's in it, but I don't trust him enough to let him have it."

"That's fine," Elena agrees, "We don't have to do that right now, though. Stefan can't be far, why don't we find something to eat and then go looking for him?"

Bonnie's stomach lets out a growl, breaking the tension over the coffins and making Ric laugh.

"Sounds like a plan." Ric could use something to eat as well, and he's sure lunch would be good for Elena.

The foursome heads back to the mouth of the cavern, debating the pros and cons of undaggering Elijah as they go. Elena is the only one who is convinced it's a good idea; Damon is furious she's even considering it, and both Alaric and Bonnie are done putting their trust in the Original. As far as they're concerned, he's proven he doesn't deserve it.

"Don't you get it? Elijah will want revenge on Klaus once he realizes everything that's happened. He doesn't know that Klaus was the one to kill their mother, that Mikael is dead or that we have Rebekah. He'll help us, I know it."

"Not happening, and not up for discussion right now, Elena." Damon retorts as they approach the vehicle. "Can we please focus on finding a place to stay for the night? I highly doubt we're going to find Stefan by nightfall, and I refuse to sleep in the car."

"There's the hotel back by the visitors centre," Bonnie reminds him helpfully.

The vampire rolls his eyes. "Have you met me? We are not staying in a place like that. I have standards." He whips out his phone and his thumbs practically fly across the screen. "Looks like the nearest place with decent sheets is in Bowling Green. We can go get some rooms, get something to eat, and then go looking for my brother. I for one would like a shower; I feel all grimy after being in that cave."

"You seriously want to drive that far?" Bonnie asks.

Damon narrows his eyes at her. "I don't know about you, witch, but I have no intention of sleeping in a half star shitty motel on the side of the highway that rents by the hour. Just because we're on a mission to drag my psychopath brother back to Boarding House Basement Rehab doesn't mean we can't sleep in a comfortable bed. Besides, there's a huge medical centre there and unless you're offering up a vein I'll be needing to replenish my blood supply."

"You don't have to be an ass about it," Bonnie spits.

Ric moves between the two of them, his arms spread to keep them at a distance from one another. "Children, please! Comfy beds and blood for the vampire is a win-win situation, so can we just go? I'm starving."

With a huff Bonnie gets into the back seat and buckles in, slamming the door behind her. Alaric hops in on the other side, leaving Damon and Elena standing on the gravel.

He notes that she looks unhappy with him, and sighs. "Elijah isn't going anywhere; you and I can discuss this later, okay?" She just raises an eyebrow at him. "Judgy back there is getting on my nerves," he admits by way of explanation, "so can we revisit this undaggering the dick who betrayed us idea _after_ I've had something to eat?"

"Fine." Elena says evenly, getting in the SUV.

_Goddamn infuriating woman,_ Damon thinks to himself as he gets behind the wheel and points the SUV in the direction of Bowling Green.

* * *

><p>By the time they reach the city, the humans are grumbling for food and Damon drops them off a few blocks from the medical centre where there seems to be a high concentration of restaurants. While he's in the middle of pilfering blood bags he receives a text from Elena telling him they're at a place called Mariah's and would he join them when he's done? He sends her a quick reply indicating he'll be there shortly, and exits the building at vampire speed with his now-full cooler in tow.<p>

In a few short minutes he's parked at the restaurant and heading inside, his blue eyes searching the restaurant for Elena. Once he's zeroed in on the trio he crosses the room in seconds and is pleasantly surprised to see an empty space next to Elena and a glass of bourbon waiting for him.

"Why Ric, are you trying to get me drunk?" he teases as he slides into his seat, assuming the teacher had the foresight to order him a beverage (not to mention he's the only one at the table legally able to do so).

"It was Elena's idea; she thought you could use it." Ric answers, pointing across the table at the brunette.

He catches her eye and she shrugs. "I thought it might help you calm down."

With a smile he lifts the glass in a mock toast and swallows some of the amber liquid. "You thought right."

The tension amongst the group eases as they enjoy their meal and then load back into the SUV, heading for a hotel. In less than ten minutes Damon pulls into the parking lot of the Hilton Garden Inn and puts the vehicle in park.

"I was hoping for a real Hilton, but apparently this is the best this town has to offer," Damon gripes as he gets out of his seat and heads into the lobby. As he approaches the front desk he smiles at the girl behind it, making her blush. "I need two rooms for tonight, and possibly a few nights after as well."

The girl is obviously in awe of his looks, but still asks for photo ID and a credit card. Damon produces both and waits as she tap tap taps away at her keyboard. After a few moments her face registers surprise, and immediately she turns up her smile. "It seems you're in luck, Mr. Salvatore. I'd be happy to upgrade both your rooms to junior suites to acknowledge your Diamond status."

It takes Damon a moment before he remembers the HHonors membership from however many years ago when he was staying at a _real_ Hilton on a drunken bender. "That's fine for one of the rooms, but I'd really prefer two beds in the other." He hears the doors opening behind him and the sounds of luggage rolling across the floor, and hopes that Ric was nice enough to grab his bag from the trunk as well.

The desk clerk acknowledges his request and types a few more things into her computer. "In lieu of the upgrade on the second room I'd like to offer you some complimentary breakfast coupons," she says, pulling out a small pad of paper. "How many are there in your party?"

"Just four," Damon says with another charming smile.

"Excellent. Our availability is wide open for the rest of the week so I'll set your rooms up for one night now and if you need to extend your stay please don't hesitate to let us know." She slides two key packets across the counter to him with the breakfast coupons.

Making a show of leaning a bit closer to lean her name tag, Damon smirks, "Why thank you, _Jessica_."

As he saunters back to the group, Elena is glaring at him with disapproval in her eyes.

"What?" he asks, unsure what he did wrong this time.

"You compelled her!" Elena hisses at him as she tows her luggage down the hall.

Damon scoffs. "I did not! Did you not see me give her my Visa and driver's license?"

Elena shakes her head. "I didn't even know you had a driver's license. How'd you pull that off?"

"When you've been around as long as I have you learn a thing or two about how to acquire necessary identification. How else am I supposed to manage my finances? I can't compel everybody, and it's not like I keep a vault under the house filled with stacks of cash. And that's beside the point, why do you think I compelled her?"

"She wouldn't stop smiling, and she gave you free upgrades and breakfast." The brunette pouts.

Damon rolls his eyes. "Seriously? Believe it or not, Elena, some women find me attractive without any prompting from me. As for the upgrade and breakfast, I apparently have a rewards membership I forgot about. I let her upgrade the room _you_ are sharing with the witch and kept the regular room for myself and Ric. She gave me breakfast coupons for the regular room."

Elena flushes, embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she says. "I just assumed..."

"Why do you assume I'm doing something bad when you keep telling me I can be good? It's like you want me to fail." He stops outside a room and hands her a key packet while Alaric and Bonnie catch up. "Enjoy your upgraded room. If you and Bonnie decide to have a pillow fight in tiny pjs please let me know."

He leaves the brunette standing there with pink cheeks and her mouth open in shock. The next room over is his, and he motions for Alaric to follow him.

In the room she's sharing with Bonnie, Elena quickly freshens up and offers her friend the shower. She gets comfy on the king sized bed and flips on the TV, browsing channels. Her muscles are crying out for her to give the Jacuzzi tub a try, but she just wants to keep herself entertained while everyone else cleans up. The sooner they find Stefan the sooner all of this will be over, and as far as Elena's concerned that day can't come soon enough.

There's nothing but daytime talk shows on (and Elena doesn't know how many times she can take hearing Maury announce 'you ARE/ARE NOT the father!' before her head will explode), so she elects to visit Damon. At the very least she can make sure he knows she feels bad for assuming the worst, and maybe make some progress on the idea of reviving Elijah.

In the time it takes Elena to clean up and peruse the joys of daytime television, Damon has long since showered, sending Ric into the bathroom for his turn. He's just pulling on his jeans when there's a knock at the door to the room. Without batting an eyelash he crosses to the door, shirtless. It's either Elena, and he's positive the effect his body has on her will result in making her flustered or even more apologetic... or it's Bonnie, and the witch is likely to give him an aneurysm. He hopes for Elena, and opens the door.

Staring back at him is the brunette, her hair straight and shining, and a relaxed smile that reaches her chocolate eyes. For a moment her smile disarms him and he thinks she actually has come to apologize again, and then he realizes that something is missing about her.

Her heartbeat.

"Hello, Katherine."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Your reviews last chapter were amazing, thank you everyone! I'm glad that a few spoke out in favour of the non-Delena moments, and while my plot is mainly D/E centric there are a few key things that happen without them around. It won't be quick for them to get together, but also keep in mind that since this story has started it's only been about 24 hours. Klaus appears in the Grill, everyone meets that night, the foursome take off that night with Damon driving all night, and they arrive in Kentucky the next morning. Where we're leaving off it's about mid-afternoon, so for that short a time period they've been doing pretty well.

A question for you guys though; who do _you_ think is in that 4th coffin? Hubby and I have been debating which is more likely, the Original Witch or the Original Petrova, and I'm intrigued to see what you think!

On an unrelated note, I had a plot bunny stuck in my head last week and ended up posting a Delena one-shot that may be turning into a two-shot in the next week or so. It's called 'Something There' and is just a fun little near-future fic involving D/E getting together in a fairytale sort of situation. Feel free to check it out!


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